Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. Founded thousands of years ago, the city is still growing as the country’s cultural and economic center.

Sofia is located in western Bulgaria, on The Sofia Plain and the lower slopes of Mount Vitosha. The average elevation of the city is 550 meters above sea level, and the climate is moderate and continental, with cold winters and relatively cool summers. The average temperature in January is 1 degree Celsius below zero, and 20 degrees Celsius in July.

The city is strategically located at a crossroads. The route from Western Europe to Istanbul goes through Sofia, Beograd, Skopje, and Plovdiv before arriving in Turkey. Sofia also connects the Near and Middle East, lying between the Danube’s banks and the White Sea’s shores on one hand, and the Black Sea and the Adriatic on the other.

Ankara is 1,012 kilometers away; Athens is 837 kilometers away; Beograd is 374 kilometers away; Bucharest is 395 kilometers away; Zagreb is 762 kilometers away; Ljubljana is 897 kilometers away; Sarajevo is 549 kilometers away; Skopje is 239 kilometers away; Tirana is 553 kilometers away.

Sofia is the starting point for three freeways: Trakia, Lyulin, and Hemus. Sofia Airport connects travelers to all major European cities, and passengers can reach any destination in the country via the central train station and bus station.